Compromise to Corruption

March 28, 2006

Compromise to Corruption

At the risk of repeating thoughts of everyone n the civilized world, I must add my two-cents about illegal aliens. The lack of backbone demonstrated in both the U.S. Congress and the Georgia Legislature is appalling.

Nationally we taxpayers are on the hook for over $13 billion annually, with the bulk of that cost landing in education provided to illegals. At the state and local level no school system is keeping its head above water and the influx of students is creating havoc everywhere. Already schools are replacing English-speaking teachers with “bilingual educators.” Adding illegals to the mix, paid for with our sales tax and property tax dollars, is not something I am willing to accept. This American taxpayer does not want his money going to educate anybody in this country illegally.
Senator Chip Rogers introduced SB529 but is has been diluted. Much was removed and too much was changed. Between Rep. Chapman and Sen. Rogers, Georgians expected meaningful legislation to deal with illegal aliens. After Gov. Perdue sliced and diced Chapman’s bill to introduce his own watered-down version, many of us were discouraged. Now we are wondering if anything positive will emerge.

What we are missing in the newly proposed legislation is accountability and enforcement. Now that Farm and Business lobbies have “spread the Bs” we are left with a virtual amnesty for the approximately 800,000 illegals in Georgia today. There is no employer responsibility that can be enforced. There is no employer accountability – and that is exactly what our legislators bought into. This American taxpayer does not want his money going to prop up any business that uses illegal alien workers.

To begin in July 2007 companies having contracts with the state will use a federal verification program, but only for new hires after that date. So-called enforcement for private employers will begin in 2008, but the wording is meaningless. Employers are asked to keep documentation for “contract workers” with no tax identification or social security card. Firstly there is no enforcement procedure for violations; and secondly there is no way to determine if the “law” is getting fulfilled. Not today. Not in 2008. Employers are asked to maintain immigration documentation for employees that are “claimed for the employer’s state income tax deductions.” How ludicrous! If they are not withholding taxes now, and the illegals are not documented (not today, and not in 2008) there is no reasonable expectation it will ever be done.
Business and Bucks is the name of the game. So long as our so-called legislators think they will share in the illegally gained profits, laws will be passed to protect the guilty. The reasoning for this unscrupulous action is cheap labor and higher profits. In the process wages for American blue-collar workers are reduced, the illegals are further denigrated and America loses! Politicians are caught between displeasing 80% of the legal citizens, and alienating a source of campaign funding. The workers are illegal, the business practices are illegal and the politicians are co-conspirators. Talk about a fascist monopoly! This American taxpayer is disgusted with unbridled corruption.

We wonder if any portion of Chapman’s or Rogers’s bills will survive the legislative process. So far we have an ambiguously defined amnesty program that removes any hope of controlling illegal immigration, protecting our borders or providing for the general welfare of legal taxpaying Americans. It all reminds me of the grand plans for ethics reform – which was similarly gutted in the legislature. How could we expect politicians to actually represent the will of the people? Certainly not if it could mean losing money and influence at the start of campaign season!